Urban Assembly Charter School for Computer Science (“Comp Sci High”) is a single-site work-based learning, computer science focused non-profit Charter school in the South Bronx.

Founded in 2018 with a cohort of 112 Freshman, Comp Sci High has grown to serve 428 students grades 9-12 across two campuses. All students come through a blind lottery with two priority criteria: i) living in the school district and ii) being a sibling of a current student. The majority of students are Black, Latinx, and children from low-income families who will be the first in their families to graduate college. Comp Sci High involves the development of a 48,000 sq. ft. charter high school, to be built by Civic Builders, Inc. (Civic) and operated by Urban Assembly Charter School for Computer Science (Comp Sci High).

Comp Sci High is expected to receive a charter school certification renewal from SUNY by June of 2023. The school will serve 462 students, creating 32 new seats. The project will focus on providing quality education through a work-based model in the South Bronx. Comp Sci High expects to continue outperforming state and district school in standardized test while weaving computer science instruction into the core curriculum.

The charter school includes 18 classrooms, multiple small breakout rooms, a cafeteria with a warming kitchen, office administration space, and a community incubator. 90% of students are low-income and 99% are people of color. The School’s model involves a work-based learning program where students receive direct instruction on professional skills ranging from basic email etiquette to advanced presentation skills. A designated counselor helps students participate in summer internships with leading tech and financial firms in NYC. Internships are co-designed by school staff and corporate partners to ensure there is a strong learning component. As part of the work-based learning model, students have afterschool internship opportunities, mock interview and design competitions, resume writing workshops, and personal finance advisory lessons.